Three-string stunt kite

ABSTRACT

A stunt kite is attached to three lines that are attached to a single handle. Moving the handle will change the angle of the kite by pulling on the desired line or lines. By changing the angle of the kite, the user can direct the wind that is pushing on its sail, causing the kite to go off on a different direction. By doing this, the user is able to perform controlled aerial, ground, underwater and partially submerged stunts.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to kites and, more particularly, to athree-string stunt kite having the three strings attached to a singlehandle.

Conventional stunt kites use two or four lines and two handles. Thesekites can be difficult to fly as they require training and coordinationto achieve and perfect various stunts. Moreover, these conventionalstunt kites can be difficult to launch, land or relaunch. Often, thesekites require the user to run to launch. This fact makes enjoyment ofstunt kites by the physically challenged difficult if not impossible.

As can be seen, there is a need for an improved stunt kite that can beoperated with one hand, is easy to launch and land, and is easy to learnand perfect stunts therewith.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect of the present invention, a kite comprises first andsecond string attachment points on first and second sides of the kite;and a third string attachment point disposed between the first andsecond string attachment points, but offset from a line interconnectingthe first and second string attachment points, wherein the first, secondand third string attachment points are adapted to connect to threestrings interconnected to a single handle.

In another aspect of the present invention, a kite comprises first andsecond string attachment points on first and second sides of the kite;first and second strings attached to the first and second attachmentpoints; a third string attachment point disposed between the first andsecond string attachment points, but offset from a line interconnectingthe first and second string attachment points; a third string attachedto the third string attachment point; a handle having a side crossmember connected to the first and second strings at each end of the sidecross member, the handle further having an up/down cross member,connected with side cross member, the up/down cross member connected tothe third string at a first end thereof.

In still another aspect of the present invention, a method for flying akite comprises connecting first and second strings between first andsecond sides of the kite and first and second ends of a side crossmember of a single handle; connecting a third string between a tail endof the kite and one end of an up/down cross member of the single handle;and releasing the kite into the air while operating the single handle tomaneuver the kite.

These and other features, aspects and advantages of the presentinvention will become better understood with reference to the followingdrawings, description and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a stunt kite, being flown, according toan exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a handle for use with the stunt kite ofFIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the handle of FIG. 2, in use by a userflying the stunt kite of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the stunt kite of FIG. 1 performing awater stunt according to an exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a stunt kite having a surfboardattachment according to an exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a stunt kite having a wheel attachmentaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a stunt kite having a ring formed alongan external periphery thereof, according to an exemplary embodiment ofthe present invention; and

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a stunt kite having a whistle formed onthe kite, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The following detailed description is of the best currently contemplatedmodes of carrying out exemplary embodiments of the invention. Thedescription is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merelyfor the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention,since the scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claims.

Broadly, an embodiment of the present invention provides a stunt kiteattached to three lines that are attached to a single handle. Moving thehandle will change the angle of the kite by pulling on the desired lineor lines. By changing the angle of the kite, the user can direct thewind that is pushing on its sail, causing the kite to go off on adifferent direction. By doing this, the user is able to performcontrolled aerial, ground, underwater and partially submerged stunts.

The kite of the present invention can, for example, be launched andlanded without even looking at the kite. The user can, with a singlehandle, have such control of the kite to be able to provide softlandings and launching. Moreover, a user, by themselves, can easilylaunch the kite by staking the handle down, running the lines out fullyextended to the kite, tilting the kite back against the wind and thenre-launching with one hand on the single handle. The kite of the presentinvention can be landed in or out of direct wind. Moreover, the kite ofthe present invention can be flown in high winds without problems, whereother stunt kites may experience difficulties. The kite of the presentinvention can hover at any fixed altitude within the wind window in adirect wind since the user can both adjust the position of the kite leftand right, but also up and down. A conventional two-lined stunt kite canonly be propelled left and right—if pointed upward in direct wind, sucha conventional kite will go up until reaches the edge of the windwindow. While up and down control is possible with conventionaltwo-handed, four-lined stunt kites, these kites are difficult to fly andtake many hours of training.

The kite of the present invention can be flown by both amateur and moreadvanced users. Unlike conventional stunt kites that may require hoursand hours of training, a user may fly the kite and be performing basicstunts with minimal instruction/flight time. Moreover, the kite of thepresent invention, because the handle can be operated with one hand, canbe flown in each of the user's hands, resulting in two stunt kites beingflown and controlled at the same time. Such stunt kite flying isimpossible with conventional two-handled stunt kites. Moreover, mostkites, such as single line kites, two-line kites, and four-line stuntkites require a bridle where the lines that are connected to the kiteare connected to a bridle and the bridle has lines that then connect tothe spars of the kite. The kite of the present invention doesn't requirea bridle, but instead, the lines can run directly from the handle to thespars of the kite. Thus, if a string on the kite of the presentinvention should break, replacement of the string is much more simplethan with those kites requiring a bridle.

Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown a kite 10 being flown. The kite10 may include a kite framework and a sail, as is known in the art. Thekite framework may hold the sail in place. Typically, the kite may beformed in a diamond shape, as shown in FIG. 1, however, other geometricand non-geometric shapes are contemplated within the scope of thepresent invention. The kite framework may be made from conventionalmaterials, such as wood, fiberglass, composite, or the like. Similarly,the sail may be made from conventional materials, such as nylon or thelike.

The kite 10 may include string attachment points 12 at or near eachsides of the kite 10, along the kite framework that runs side to side onthe kite 10. The attachment points 12 may be referred to as sideattachment points. The kite 10 may further include a single stringattachment point 14 on the kite framework that runs top to bottom on thekite 10. This attachment point 14 may be referred to as a tailattachment point, as it is at or near a tail end of the kite 10. A tail16 may optionally be provided on the kite 10.

Referring to FIG. 2, a kite handle 10 may include a side cross member 21and a up/down cross member 22. The cross members 21, 22 may intersect toform a T-shape or an X-shape, for example. A string connector 23 may bedisposed on each end of the side cross member 21 and at one end of theup/down cross member 22. The string connector 23 may be, for example, aneye hook. The distance between the string connectors 23 on the handlemay be varied to change the degree to which the handle would need to bemoved to cause a movement with the kite. For example, a larger distancebetween the string connectors 23 on the side cross member 21 of thehandle 10 may allow a smaller turning radius of the kite and can enlargethe kite's wind window. In some embodiments, there may be multiplestring connectors 23 on the handle 10.

First and second side strings 24 may connect from the string connector23 to the side attachment points 12 of the kite 10. In some embodiments,the first and second side strings 24 may connect to a bridle (not shown)and a single string may run from the bridle to the kite handle 10. Insome embodiments, the first and second side strings 24 may connect tothe same point on the handle with the tail string connected to theopposite side of the handle. These configurations may allow the kite tofly with height control but without left and right turning capability.

A tail string 25 may connect from the string connector 23 on the up/downcross member 22 to the tail attachment point 14 of the kite 10. A swivel28 may be disposed between each of the string connectors 23 and thestrings 24, 25 to prevent twisting of the strings.

A handle grip 26 may be disposed on an end of the up/down cross member22, opposite the string connector 23. A flexible handle attachment 27,such as a string, may connect the handle grip 26 to the up/down crossmember 22. The handle grip 26 may be used by a user to help fly andcontrol the kite.

The handle 20 may be made from conventional materials, such as wood,metal, composite, plastic or the like. In some embodiments, the handle20 may be made from two pieces of hardwood, centrally joined by aconnector 29. In other embodiments, the handle 20 may be made as asingle-piece, integral member.

FIG. 3 shows the handle 20 in use by a user. It should be noted that theuser can easily fly the stunt kite and perform stunts by using a singlehand with the handle.

Referring now to FIGS. 4 and 5, the kite 10 may be flown submerged orpartially submerged in water. If there is wind to push on the kite thatis exposed out of the water, the user may not even need to move to keepthe kite moving in the water. In some cases, the user may need to backup (typically only a step or two) to provide lift out of the water. Insome cases, the user may need to only change the angle of the kite toprovide lift out of the water. A user can pull back on the handle on theend they want to relaunch/come out of the water first to control thekite's direction of travel.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 5, a kite 50 may be outfitted withone or more surfboards 52. The surfboards 52 may be attached, forexample, at one or both ends of the sides of the kite 10. The surfboards52 may be formed from a lightweight material that can allow the kite 10to surf along a top surface of the water. The surfboards 52 may beformed in various shapes and sizes, typically similar to the shape of atypical surfboard. The kite 50 may have the surfboard 52 on both sides,or, in some embodiments, the surfboard 52 may be disposed on one side,allowing the kite to dive into to water from one direction and surf onthe water from the other direction.

Referring to FIG. 6, a kite 60 may have one or more wheels 62 formed atits edges. As shown in FIG. 6, the kite 60 may have one wheel 62 at theside and top edges thereof. The wheels 62 may be designed to permit thekite 60 to be wheeled along a surface, such as the ground. The wheels 62may be disposed to have an axis of rotation that is generally parallelto the strings 23, 24 of the kite. In some embodiments, the wheels 62may be replaced with rollers (not shown) to provide the same effect. Thewheels 62 may be formed from conventional materials, such as plastic,fiberglass, composite, rubber, or the like.

Referring to FIG. 7, a kite 70 may include a ring 72 formed about aperiphery thereof. The ring 72 may allow the entire kite 70 itself toroll on a surface, such as the ground. The ring 72 may be made from alightweight material, such as fiberglass, plastic, composite, or thelike.

Referring now to FIG. 8, a kite 80 may include one or more whistles 82.The whistles 82 may be disposed at various locations on the kite 80. Insome embodiments, as shown in FIG. 8, the whistles 82 may be disposed atthree corners of the kite 80. The whistles 82 may be the same or may bedifferent, thereby providing a melody while stunts are being performed.The whistles 82 may be disposed at various angles, depending on thedesired effect. In some embodiments, one or whistles 82 may be disposedalong one of more of the strings 23, 24. In some embodiments, thewhistles 82 may be useful in teaching the visually impaired to performstunts with the kite 80, as the sounds from different whistles 82 mayprovide reinforcement of a successful stunt.

Other features may be included with the stunt kite of the presentinvention. For example, the stunt kite strings may vibrate during use,producing a sound. A sound amplifier, for example, similar to that on anacoustic guitar, may be formed in the handle 20 (or along the strings23, 24), for example, to enhance the vibration sounds to provide a“roar” while performing stunts with the kite of the present invention.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the stunt kite may includeone or more flotation devices on the kite. These floatation devices maybe located just about anywhere on the kite. For example, a flotationdevice may be mounted on the nose of the kite to have nose up when thekite goes in water, or the flotation device may be mounted in the middleof the kite to cause the kite lay flat in the water. In any case, theflotation device may allow the kite to float and not sink when used ator near water. The flotation device may be any light-weight item thatmay float in water, such as foam, an air pocket, or the like.

While the above describes the tail string 25 attached to the tail end ofthe kite, the tail string 25 could be a head string that is attached toa head end of the kite. This would provide a similar kite flyingexperience, still allowing the user to perform stunts with athree-string kite with a single hand.

It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing relates toexemplary embodiments of the invention and that modifications may bemade without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as setforth in the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A kite comprising: first and second string attachment points on first and second sides of the kite; and a third string attachment point disposed between the first and second string attachment points, but offset from a line interconnecting the first and second string attachment points, wherein the first, second and third string attachment points are adapted to connect to three strings interconnected to a single handle.
 2. The kite of claim 1, wherein the third string attachment point is disposed at a tail end of the kite.
 3. The kite of claim 1, further comprising a surfboard disposed on at least one of the first and second sides of the kite.
 4. The kite of claim 1, further comprising a ring disposed about the outer periphery of the kite.
 5. The kite of claim 1, further comprising a wheel disposed on at least one outer corner of the kite.
 6. The kite of claim 1, further comprising at least one whistle disposed on the kite.
 7. A kite comprising: first and second string attachment points on first and second sides of the kite; first and second strings attached to the first and second attachment points; a third string attachment point disposed between the first and second string attachment points, but offset from a line interconnecting the first and second string attachment points; a third string attached to the third string attachment point; a handle having a side cross member connected to the first and second strings at each end of the side cross member, the handle further having an up/down cross member, connected with side cross member, the up/down cross member connected to the third string at a first end thereof.
 8. The kite of claim 7, wherein the side cross member intersects with the up/down cross member perpendicularly to form an X-shape.
 9. The kite of claim 7, wherein a handle grip is disposed at a second, opposite end of the up/down cross member.
 10. The kite of claim 7, further comprising at least one swivel disposed in the first, second and third strings.
 11. The kite of claim 7, wherein the third string attachment point is disposed at a tail end of the kite.
 12. The kite of claim 7, further comprising a surfboard disposed on at least one of the first and second sides of the kite.
 13. The kite of claim 7, further comprising a ring disposed about the outer periphery of the kite.
 14. The kite of claim 7, further comprising a wheel disposed on at least one outer corner of the kite.
 15. The kite of claim 7, further comprising at least one whistle disposed on the kite.
 16. A method for flying a kite comprising: connecting first and second strings between first and second sides of the kite and first and second ends of a side cross member of a single handle; connecting a third string between a tail end of the kite and one end of an up/down cross member of the single handle; and releasing the kite into the air while operating the single handle to maneuver the kite.
 17. The method of claim 16, further comprising at least partially submerging the kite in water during flight thereof.
 18. The method of claim 16, further comprising performing stunts with the kite with a single hand operating the single handle.
 19. The method of claim 16, further comprising launching the kite from a surface without the need for a user to run with the handle. 